


Rooms

by trueheirofslytherin



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-05-02 10:45:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5245379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trueheirofslytherin/pseuds/trueheirofslytherin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh has only had a few rooms in his life, but this is his least favourite.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rooms

**Author's Note:**

> In case the tags weren't clear enough, this work has been rated Teen and Up because of mental illness references. This content may be triggering to people suffering with depression and other similar mental illnesses.
> 
> This is my first fic on here, and hopefully not my last.
> 
> And sorry guys but I live for angst.

It is too dark in Josh's new room. He prefers his old room at his parents' house. The one with his consoles and television. His clothes, and photos of family and friends. The one with the walls coated with soft, thick wallpaper that was fun to poke at, and the fluffy carpet that tickled his toes.

Or maybe his room at the lodge, with his books to read curled up in front of the mini fireplace. The soft lighting of the room that allowed him to awaken without squinting, and the mattress that he practically sank into.

But this new room is too dark. He can still see but everything is dim, not that there is much to see anyway. The walls are softer than his old wallpaper, and his clothes are not chosen by him, and have long sleeves and legs that are sewn together at the ends. The way that the nurses force feed him pills and bland food is nothing like the way his mother would bring him his medication and breakfast in bed.

The padded door opens, flooding the room with light. Before, Josh would have pushed himself back, desperately scurrying away from the visitor. However, now he is too tired for that. Instead, he sits still and waits for his medicine, wondering if they are changing his dosage since he has already had his medication half an hour ago.

"Heya Josh."

The voice sends shivers down Josh's spine, memories of the bad things that he did rushing back to him. He glances up and meets Chris' pitying gaze.

"I'll leave you to it. Press the button if you want to leave." the nurse in the doorway says, before leaving the two of them alone in dim lighting.

Chris sits opposite Josh, taking his appearance in slowly. His eyes linger on the sewn up sleeves and legs.

"How are you?" he asks in a slow voice, as though aware that it is a stupid question to ask.

Josh's mind isn't what it once was, but the medication is helping him to steadily become himself again. However, being locked up in isolation has diminished his social skills. He can remember how he and Chris used to used to talk to one another, but he knows that any effort to recreate that will sound forced.

"Okay." Josh finally replies, after a moment of awkward silence, "Been better, been worse."

"New tablets?"

"Stronger ones."

Chris sighs and nods, his fingers twitching with the desire to reach out and touch his best friend.

"I miss you, man. We all miss you. Three months is a long time without your best bud."

Josh hangs his head; he wants to cry but the tears just won't come, having all been used up in his first few weeks in the institution.

Hearing Chris' voice and seeing his face hurts Josh in places he doesn't know could hurt. It's nothing like losing his sisters; it's more a nostalgia laced with guilt. He hurt his best friends and here was Chris, feeling bad for him. It doesn't feel right.

"Listen man," Chris starts, his eyebrows furrowed with worry, "I don't blame you for what happened, okay? You were in pain and we never properly talked about what happened back then. I mean, we just pretended that it hadn't happened and let it grow."

"I miss them." Josh whispers, "They were so angry."

"They weren't, Josh. They were gone. It was in your head. Your sisters aren't angry at you or anybody, okay?"

Josh nods, scrunching his face up in pain; he has a headache, the knowledge that he can't distinguish between hallucinations and reality hitting him hard.

Chris offers him a soft smile.

"I love you, man."

"That's gay." Josh snorts, "But I love you too."

There's a short silence where Josh and Chris just smile at one another, and it feels nice. Chris forgives him. The pain inside Josh fades slightly, making smiling easier.

"How're you and Ashley?" Josh finally pipes up.

"Good, yeah. It's been slow, but we're finally comfortable and it's going great." Chris grins, deliberately avoiding any mention of how Josh's 'prank' made the beginning of their relationship difficult to manage.

Josh smiles and nods.

"Emily and Matt made up, too. She's being slightly nicer to him. It's barely noticeable but it's there, so." Chris chuckles, "Jessica and Mike are okay. He goes to therapy with her and holds her hand, which is sweet."

Josh swallows hard, guilt shooting through him.

"And Sam... Well she had a super secret thing for you, and she's angry that it's still kinda there. So when you're all better and out of here, give it a shot?"

Josh laughs quietly at Chris' serious expression; he really does still care about Josh.

"Did Ashley tell you that?"

"Any idiot with eyes could've seen it." Chris laughs.

"I have eyes and I didn't see it."

"You're stupid, that's why."

The banter feels good, and Josh finds himself bubbling over with joy for the first time since before his sisters' deaths.

Them dying had broken him and his emotions had spiralled out of his control. The medication had helped a fair amount, but it had made him drowsy, and he found it difficult to do even the simplest tasks. Coming off it had seemed like a good idea at the time, but after hurting his closest friends he regretted the decision.

"Everything's fine out there, don't worry about us. We can't wait to hang out again, maybe we could all go somewhere less horror movie, and more just friends hanging out." Chris grins.

Josh nods, his smile so wide it hurt his cheeks.

"Somewhere sunny and happy, right?"

"Yeah. Definitely." Chris agrees.

Josh takes his time to look over Chris one last time before he has to leave.

Chris, eyes look dark, his pupils too large. His glasses look broken, with the frames bent. His teeth aren't white, but instead more grey, and there's blood on his lip. The more Josh stares at him, the more wrong he looks. Slowly, Chris starts to fade, his skin turning invisible until finally, there's nothing left, and Josh feels the drowsiness that comes when his medication kicks in.

Josh glances around, his eyes burning. He really hates his new room.


End file.
